Lent: Week ... 4?

So I'm no longer even TRYING not to drink a lot of pop. I had two cans of pop today at school (and I even brought tea to work this morning, so that should have cut down my pop drinking by at least one, but no. Plus, last night I bought a two-liter of Diet Sprite. Today, it's more than half gone. Hmm...

The writing every day: clearly it's not happening on the blog. Shocking, I know. However, it's going okay. Even though I sometimes have to write a lot on one day because I know that I won't be able to write the next day or on the weekend or whatever, but that's no big deal. (Remember, I have that clause with God.) I've written about 5600 words (almost 23 pages) on my "writing project" since Ash Wednesday which is pretty good compared to this time the last three years while I was student teaching and just barely surviving my first two years of teaching.

The best part is I've also been reading a lot of author's blogs and the one I really admire said she never writes her books in chronological order; she starts with the parts she wants to write. I've been loving that!! Since I have to write, I allow myself to write about whatever part I want to. That part rocks.

Well, I guess technically I've upheld my bargain with God since I've written this; however, I'm still gonna go see what I can do on my other project.


A couple of writing quotes for inspiration:

Writing is a dog's life, but the only life worth living.
~ Gustave Flaubert

When once the itch of literature comes over a man, nothing can sure it but the scratching of a pen.
~ Samuel Lover

Anybody can become a writer, but the trick is to STAY a writer.
~ Harlan Ellison

Having imagination, it takes you an hour to write a paragraph that, if you were unimaginative, would take you only a minute. Or you might not write the paragraph at all.
~ Franklin P. Adams, from Half a Loaf

Lent: Week 2 ... or is it 3?

Aaaugh!!! Lent!!! Well, I haven't written in two days which is okay because I have a built-in clause with God where I will be able to "make up" my writing time, much like after being sick in school you get however many days you were gone plus one to make up your assignments. So I owe God three days of writing.

Lent progress

Okay: Lent. I decided to A) only drink two pops a day (Isn't that rigorous of me? Only TWO instead of, you know, six). Unfortunately, the fourth day of Lent the electricity went out for FOUR DAYS, and there seriously wasn't anything to do EXCEPT DRINK DIET SUNKIST, so ... that was over.

I also decided (with Kim) B) not to let the small things stress me out. Unfortunately, the electricity was out during the Oscars which means that I missed viewing my Holy Grail, my Superbowl, my reason for living. It's hard not to get stresised when your reason for living is unavailable due to a bad-ass storm raging outside. Plus, I'm also hosting speech contest, and it was postponed ... twice (which means doing the same work three times), so ... not sweating the small stuff is over as well.

Also, because of speech contest and the blizzards that keep blowing through, I haven't spoken to Kim except for two very brief phone calls since last week, so I'm not even helping her uphold her end of the bargain.

Luckily, I also decided C) to write every day, even if it's just a paragraph. So far, things are going great!! First of all, I've already posted twice on my blog in about a week (!). In addition, I've written several pages on something else. I do love to write creative nonfiction essays, but I've set my goal a little higher (for me, I mean. It's much harder for me to do something completely fiction as opposed to writing creative essays about my life. That comes very easy to me.)

I've written fourteen pages in seven days (and with no electricity for three of those days), plus the essay on Lent which is another four (all double spaced, of course). This is more than I've written since last summer, so I'm feeling pretty good about it.

Weather

Despite the two late starts and two snow days, after four days with no electricity and two ice storms, I can say with quite some certainty that I am ready for spring.

Unless, of course, we are going to get some more snow days. Then I'm all for it.